Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
Reliable, Trustworthy Reporting, Capturing The Heartbeat Of Our Community
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Discussion and debate has always been a part of rural America. From coffee shops to the local co-op, rural residents aren’t afraid to show their loyalty for one candidate or another, share their thoughts on the issues of the day and voice their distrust of the government. Sometimes opinions can spur disagreement and raise tensions. But, in the end, most of us will agree to disagree, shake hands and go about our day. Lately, this seems to have changed. The divisive politics of Washington have mad...
A program incentivizing microentrepreneurship, by encouraging business investment, is seeing renewed interest after updates made last year. Established in 2005, the Nebraska Advantage Microenterprise Tax Credit experienced strong usage from 2008 to 2014 but saw a decline to only 75 applicants in 2019 and 81 in 2020. These dwindling participation rates encouraged a small group of senators to propose canceling the program. Understanding its value to rural communities, the Center for Rural Affairs...
With their approval of several key pieces of legislation, Nebraska lawmakers solidified the importance of small entrepreneurs, local meat processors and family farms to our state’s economy and way of life. Their support also preserves a healthy future for rural Nebraska. Entering this legislative session, lawmakers faced tough decisions regarding how to spend the state’s allotment of recovery funds from the federal American Rescue Plan Act. For rural senators, priorities included support for...
For Nebraska’s small business owners, the past two years have been anything but easy. From forced closures to supply chain disruptions, entrepreneurs are seeing a new challenge at every turn. The Nebraska Legislature will have an opportunity to provide some much needed stability with two bills scheduled to appear in front of the Appropriations Committee in February. Legislative Bill 1090, introduced by Sen. Myron Dorn, would allow lawmakers to increase funding for the Business Innovation A...
The newly-passed infrastructure package approved by Congress last week promises to reach every corner of the country and, for rural America, funding for water and sewer, broadband internet and electrical projects could have the most impact. A $11.7 billion annual increase for the Clean Water and Drinking Water State Revolving Funds will assist small towns in making much-needed drinking water and sewage system upgrades. The federal-state partnership provides low-interest loans to eligible...
From hair salons and restaurants to grocery and hardware stores, more than 80% of the state's entrepreneurs operate a microbusiness. Their hard work helps keep our community strong and our Main Street alive. With recent updates to the Nebraska Advantage Microenterprise Tax Credit, more of these small business owners are eligible for one of the state's only incentives available to businesses of five or fewer employees. The Nebraska Advantage Microenterprise Tax Credit is a 20% refundable tax...
JOHNATHAN HLADIK Policy director Center for Rural Affairs Small business entrepreneurship is a key source of job creation for rural counties. These businesses generate economic activity that can multiply throughout the community. But, they also face many challenges, including difficulty in accessing capital and acquiring training for business planning and financial management. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program aims to address these challenges. R...
JONATHAN HLADIK Policy director Center for Rural Affairs With a nearly-unanimous vote last month, the Nebraska Legislature retained and improved one of the only incentives available to businesses of five or fewer employees. After a year when many small businesses shuttered and others were forced to pause plans for future growth, the approval of Legislative Bill 366 also sends an important message to microentrepreneurs-the services they provide are a worthy and important part of our state's...
